Love All The Same
by ThatOneKrys
Summary: "Why did you and mom adopt me and Luke if mom can have kids?"


"Daddy?"

The quiet call for his attention made Killian look up from the book in his hands to the doorway where two of his three youngest children stood; Luke holding onto his big sister's hand like a lifeline, both staring up at him tentatively.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Can we ask you something?" Hanna asked, the hesitation in her question quite evident.

Frowning slightly, the pirate pushed himself up into a proper sitting position, leaning against the headboard of the bed, the book deposited onto his nightstand. "Of course, darling. C'mere." He motioned for the two of them to join him, helping Luke up onto the bed and into his lap. His little toddler-sized legs weren't quite long enough to get himself up on his own.

Hanna curled herself into her father's side, her head resting on his shoulder. An arm wrapped around each of his children as he waited for her to reveal why they were in the bedroom.

"Why did you and mom adopt me and Luke if mom can have kids?" the redhead eventually asked, her fingers playing with the hem of Killian's shirt as if to distract herself enough to get the question out. "People adopt kids because they can't have their own…"

Before Killian could wonder why she'd bring up such a topic, it dawned on him. Emma was pregnant again. With a gentle sigh, he dropped a kiss to both their heads. "That's not the only reason people adopt, Hanna. Aye, most people adopt children because they are unable to have their own, but not everyone," he explained, smiling warmly at his daughter when she looked up at him, her bright green eyes (so surprisingly like her mother's despite the lack of shared DNA) wide as she listened. "You remember the stories of mine and your mum's childhood, right?"

Both kids nodded immediately. Emma and Killian refused to hide their pasts from their children; if they were healed enough to open up to each other so completely, they would do the same with their kids. They deserved to know where their family came from. All of it.

"So you know your mum and I were orphans, just like the two of you were." He gave each of them a squeeze before continuing on. "When we decided we wanted to let out family grow, we agreed right away that we wanted to adopt at least one of our children, because we both understood what it felt like to be unwanted and unloved. If we were able to, we wouldn't let a child grow up the way we did."

"And the moment we saw you, Hanna, we knew we weren't leaving without you," Emma's voice suddenly chimed in, making the trio look up at the same time to see her standing in the doorway, Liam in tow. The blond ball of energy rarely left his mother's side once the kids were informed she was pregnant. Liam was determined to take care of mom and the baby whenever dad wasn't. Sometimes he was more prince than pirate.

"Aye," Killian agreed with a wide smile, meeting his wife's gaze as she and their older son joined the rest of the family on the bed.

"Owww! Liam!" Luke whined as his big brother jumped onto the bed, and apparently onto his foot.

"Liam, what did I tell you about jumping onto the bed?" Emma scolded him, maneuvering as best as she could to get herself onto the bed. Being seven months pregnant made it a little more difficult to move around.

"Not to do it," he mumbled, situating himself between his mother and Hanna. "Sorry, Luke…."

"Is okay, Liam. I still love you," the youngest offered, making their parents chuckle.

"Just because I had Liam, and will have this little one soon," Emma continued the conversation she and Liam had interrupted, her hand smoothing over her large stomach. "It doesn't mean we can't— or won't— adopt more kids. Being an orphan _sucks_, and we couldn't let you two be orphans anymore."

"We love the two of you just as much as we do Liam, and Henry," Killian added.

"But you love mommy more," Hanna chimed in with a knowing grin, making him laugh. She would always be Daddy's girl.

"I love _all of you_ more than anything, as does mum."

"And that'll never change, even if we have more kids or adopt another one," Emma added with a bright smile. "Alright?"

All three kids nodded eagerly.

"Good. Now get out. Mom's pregnant and tired and needs dad to take care of her," Emma announced, playfully shooing the trio of children off the bed.

As soon as the three of them scampered off, and the door shutting behind them, Killian's attention was on his wife. "Hanna is much to observant for her age."

"She's 8, Killian. All kids that age know more than they should," she reminded him with a tired laugh, reaching over for his hand. "Your daughter has been kicking like crazy and won't stop."

His hand settled on her stomach, feeling the kicks immediately, though they slowed down quickly until they stopped completely. "It seems she missed her father," the pirate mused, thumb brushing over the fabric of her shirt.

"She's already a daddy's girl, you know. You going to be able to handle both her and Hanna?"

"I'm a pirate captain, love. I can handle an entire crew. Two daughters will be no problem."

"Just wait until she's following you around everywhere, just like Hanna does."

"I look forward to it," he hummed, leaning in to kiss his wife.


End file.
